"You gave me the wrong book."

I batted my eyes. "I thought you wanted that one." I replied innocently.

The visible eye narrowed. "I can tell you're lying."

My patience was gone and he was quickly cutting the leash that held my temper in check. "Oh good. Can you tell if I'm lying now? You're. Not. Getting. The. Book." I walked through the living room and entered the kitchen from the side. I was feeling much too happy at his inability to reply.

It had been a while since breakfast and all the talking and running had made me thirsty. I took out a glass and dug through the fridge for the juice pouring myself a liberal amount. When I turned around he was leaning against the doorframe that opened into the foyer.

"You're still here." I monotoned dryly.

"I want that book."

"I gave you a book."

"You gave me the wrong book." He growled.

"You didn't specify." I pointed out smugly.

I saw his eyes flicker down to my pocket where the outline of the book was barely visible. I stuffed my hand into the pocket ridding him of the recognizable shape. He was really beginning to get on my nerves.

"Don't you have somewhere to be? People to guard, information to gather, missions to do?"

Score! He fell out of his angry expression at the sight of the kitchen clock and blinked sheepishly. His eyes flickered back to my book. "I'll be back for it." he stated and poofed out.

I waited a few moments after he had left, just in case. Then I headed upstairs to my bedroom determined to get a start on the book. Then I'd hide it. I threw open my door and smiled happily.

Books were strewn out from under my bed and spilled out of my closet. They covered the surface of my desk and three full bookshelves that were stacked two books deep. A few piles at the head of my bed were my latest reads, teetered unsteadily.

Cracking my newest book open I sat comfortably on my bed trying to squash the silly grin on my face as I began to read.

"You're Late."

He shrugged, smiling through the mask. "I was having a deep philosophical conversation..."

Obito scowled. "Yeah, right."

They had been friends for years, although the more serious Obito was a little below him in ability he had better organizational skills, critical for ANBU team leaders.

He shrugged, smiled back serenely. "So shall we get started?"

"The mission was postponed."

That meant more time to relax and...read? "Ah...so do we get to go home?"

"No." Obito snapped. "It means we continue to practice for it."

"How are we supposed to practice? Our teamwork's perfect and it's not like you can practice infiltration with someone's permission and yet without them expecting you." That was Takeshi, the third member of their ANBU team.

"Well...that's not quite true."

Obito and Takeshi both gave him speculating looks.

"I in my infinite wisdom have already secured a infiltration exercise for us. With almost exactly the same scenario as our mission. However instead of a forbidden jutsu scroll, it is a regular book we have to steal."

"But then they know we're coming." Takeshi shook his head, his bangs flapping. An anomaly of ninja style they were consistently dyed a forest green against his dun brown hair. In Kakashi's perspective he looked very much like a tree, when he wasn't perfectly camouflaged.

"Ah, but she doesn't! It's my book, I'm loaning it to her."

Obito's eyes narrowed. "One of your books?"

"You know the series I'm reading? Well book seven is the most exciting yet! It starts off with a detailed-"

"ENOUGH! I don't want to hear about the contents of those things. Where is it?"

I was just getting to one of the exciting parts when I began to feel nervous. It's a natural reaction, after all when you read this sort of thing in public you want to make sure no one's looking over your shoulder. As a sort of security measure I slipped a book sock on the cover so it wouldn't be immediately recognizable. And while I was at a good stopping point, I decided that it was a good time to get another glass of juice. I stretched and stuffing a finger between the pages wandering downstairs.

The stairs groaned and creaked as I lumbered back into the kitchen. My old house was always complaining and making funny noises, even the door squeak upstairs wasn't out of the ordinary...until I realized that there was no draft to make it move.

For a moment I froze, my mind screaming intruder and flashing up images of being sliced and diced after being beaten black and blue. My mom had a tendency to prove her point with detailed descriptions of what might happen in such situations and they carried through to my own imagination. I could have made a great slasher movie from the footage that was playing inside my head.

I glanced at the knife rack. The sharpened blades had never looked more comforting. Then again I did live in a ninja village, I would probably be able to stab them once maybe? Before they disarmed me? Unless that one little stab hit a major vein I was in for it. I needed a weapon with maximum damage.

Fear the cast-iron skillet of death!

Armed with my pan I crept up the stairs. Every plank creaked anyway, but it gave me a shred of confidence. That's when I heard someone shuffling through my books. A certain freakish nin came to mind. All images of homicidal killers faded as I stormed into my room. One ANBU, fully garbed in leaf regalia, was furiously sifting through my stacks upsetting it all terribly.

It reeked of that other ninja's meddling. I crossed my arms and waited. To his credit it didn't take them long to realize I was there. Slowly brown hair turned towards me, abruptly turning out to be neon green at the front. I bared blunted fangs. "Looking for something?"

I felt a tug on my book and swung the skillet. It was easily removed from my hand. The nin from this morning smiled back at me waving my skillet mockingly. "Hi there!"

At that moment a third ANBU strode in the door frowning and crossed his arms. "I told you she was coming well in advance, what were you doing?"

The one with neon green bangs jumped to the defensive. "I was trying to restack these damn things! That book isn't even in here!"

"Mmm hmm. Due to the situation it would have actually relied on you to make a distraction Kakashi." The third one commented.

"Due to the level of ninja we faced I opted to attack them in their moment of surprise, instead of alerting them with an illusionary jutsu which they would easily have detected."

The brunette frowned. "It would have blown our cover though, still that means the blame falls to you Takeshi, gotta search quicker."

"Don't be picky Okito, silence or haste, you can't do both. Besides I was doing pretty well." He protested.

"Yeah...how did you notice?" Okito, I guess, asked.

"The draft."

"Different people notice different things." Kakashi commented sagely. "Any comments Akiko-kun?"

"How could you not notice me holding it the entire time?" I asked stoically.

The three of them immediately looked to my right hand.

"You're actually reading that?" Okito asked.

Two of them gave me another inch of space. I sighed and covered my face.

"Akiko! I'm hooome!" Three sets of eyes focused through the floor with interest.

Just when things couldn't get any worse...

"Oh! You have guests!"

My mom thought ninjas were the greatest thing since electric rice cookers.

"Akiko are you alright you look a little flushed."

"Probably the heat, she's been inside all morning." The jounin supplied helpfully.

When my brother took an interest in ninja techniques she was thrilled, when Dad decided to move into a village full of them she almost had a seizure.

"You're right, it's supposed to hit the nineties today. Have you been drinking Akiko? I'll get you a glass of juice. Oh I'm Akiko's mom by the way."

"Pleased to meet you Mrs..."

"Kisuki."

When he was old enough he ran off into the great blue yonder and set up a little hut with its very own vegetable garden so he didn't have to deal with anyone. Every now and then he sends me letters about how he's doing, and new techniques he's found out about.

"Ahh, how could I have forgotten? The heat must be getting to me too..."

"Can I get you something to drink? Tea, Juice, water, milk? I think we even have some Iced Tea! Would you like some of that?"

"It'd be wonderful. I'm Hatake Kakashi, surely Akiko's told you about me?"

I felt her glance at me, but refused to meet her gaze. I was not going to feel guilty about something that wasn't my fault.

"Really? She hasn't told me anything about you, but then again she's always been a shy kind of girl. She's grown up so fast..."

"Don't they all? Oh, these are my teammates. Aname Okito and Yeshua Takeshi."

"And you're all ANBU? How wonderful! Can I get you three something to drink? How about some Iced Tea?"

Technically I should have been able to move out two years ago, except the world is a dangerous place for young girls. Damned that I wasn't born a boy.

"That's okay I'm not really..."

"Nonsense, can't have you becoming dehydrated or anything. Do you like juice?"

"I prefer green tea." Obito stated calmly.

"You're in luck! I just happened to pick some up on my way home."

"I'm not really thirsty..."

She set three brimming glasses on the table, complete with decorative straws. "Here you go! Drink up!"

"..."

"..."

"...thank you."

It's days like this I seriously consider surgery.